when learning turns vicious.

Mom did a lot of work to find curriculum that would work really well for my sister and I as we progressed through our homeschool era. One of the curriculum items that worked really well for both of us was Shurley Grammar. It broke down grammar and writing into approachable chunks and patterns. Shurley also taught us some easy ways to remember the principles taught – my most and least favorite of which was by using jingles. I still remember a few of them to this day, and it comes in handy when playing MadLibs…though I still struggle with adverbs. Anyways. Mom was really proud of our progress in learning grammar with Shurley. What she didn’t realize is that this learning could be a weapon. One night, mom was talking on the phone in her room – mind you, this was when we had land lines and you had to be by your actual, plugged in the phone to talk on it. Janine and I were sitting on her bed, across the hall from mom’s room. One of us decided that it would be a great idea to yell our Shurley Grammar jingles. Mom was understandably irritated. It all came down to the punch line.“But mom! We are learning!” Mom walked away, rolled her eyes, while Janine and I were thrilled that our ploy worked. And we’re all the smarter for it.